By sports editor Russell Bennett
Aaron Bailey doesn’t know what it’s like to have walked a mile in Shane Smith’s shoes.
But the AFL Outer East region general manager is walking an astonishing 3300 kilometres in his great mate’s memory.
Smith tirelessly dedicated decades of his life to serving the local football and netball community – through such roles as Outer East commission deputy chairman – before the devoted family man lost his battle with the beast, Motor Neurone Disease (MND), in December last year.
The courage of his fight has served as an ongoing and ever-present source of inspiration, not only to all who knew him, but people who even simply crossed paths with him.
Bailey had the privilege of working alongside him and is still inspired by his determination, strength of character, and adoration of his family in his darkest hour.
That inspiration will never leave Bailey, and it’s the driving force behind his incredible charity mission that, when completed, will see him walk the equivalent of the distance from Optus Stadium in Perth, to Melbourne’s MCG – the footballing epicentres of the two cities in which Neale Daniher made his VFL/AFL home.
The former Essendon captain and inspirational 223-game Melbourne coach has been the very public face of ‘FightMND’ since his own devastating diagnosis in 2014.
FightMND was specifically established with the purpose of finding effective treatments, and ultimately a cure, for Motor Neurone Disease, which – in essence – gradually takes away sufferers’ use of their arms and legs, their ability to eat and swallow, their speech, and eventually their ability to breathe – often well within the span of four years.
Tragically for Smith and his family, he wasn’t officially diagnosed with the disease until just days before his passing.
“For me, he was a great friend and mentor, he’s someone we miss horribly and he’s had an enormous impact on all of us involved in footy and netball in the region,” Bailey explained.
“He was just so passionate about our region, our clubs, and our people and he had a massive role in shaping the Outer East into what it is today.
“Shane’s passing had a significant impact on me, and I wanted to look at different ways to work through the grief.
“I just felt I needed to do something positive – something more than just grieve, itself.”
In looking for ways to honour his late mate, Bailey – a Melbourne Football Club diehard – was inspired by reading Daniher’s book.
Starting earlier this year, he decided to walk the equivalent distance of Perth to Melbourne – given Daniher’s footy involvement in both cities.
He hopes to complete his mission by the end of the year.
“But as silly as it sounds, I probably underestimated the distance involved – I committed to doing it before I even Google mapped it!” Bailey said with a laugh.
“Seriously though, it’s been a really nice, cathartic process to go through – being able to take my newborn son with me as I walk 10 to 15 kilometres a day.
“I think I’ve covered every street in Doreen (his home suburb).”
Bailey said with the ‘Big Freeze’ taking place on the Queen’s Birthday Monday, this is the perfect time to get the initiative out there while also honouring Smith’s legacy, and just who he was as a person.
“With the nature of MND and what it takes away from a person when it comes to their movement, I thought doing a significant physical challenge was pretty appropriate,” Bailey explained.
“It’s to highlight the true impact of the disease, so putting myself through what I’d consider to be a difficult challenge is really put into perspective when I compare it to what Shane endured. It’s a great reminder to me of what to not take for granted.”
Smith’s great mate, and AFL Outer East chairman, Tony Mitchell explained the heartache Smith’s family went through.
“We knew he was ill, but they hadn’t diagnosed him with MND until the Monday before he passed on the Wednesday (in December 2019),” Mitchell said.
“He’d had other medical issues over the years, but it was initially considered to be a virus that he was suffering from.
“I know I struggled with his diagnosis when it eventually came, and it was really upsetting for his family.”
Mitchell and Smith had formed a close bond since meeting on the then Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League board more than 25 years ago.
And they were still talking footy day in, and day out until Smith’s final days.
Mitchell would constantly visit him in hospital, where Smith’s wife Debbie maintained a bedside vigil.
“Shane’s passing had a significant impact on me, and I wanted to look at different ways to work through the grief.” – Aaron Bailey
Mitchell became emotional talking about his great mate, saying: “The toughest part has been not having him there to talk to anymore.
“Every day we’d talk for half an hour or an hour at least, and we’d have some ripper debates – I’d wind him up and he’d tell me what an idiot I was!
“Even in the last week of his life, I’d still give it to him and he’d just roll his eyes at me.”
Mitchell said Smith never aspired to be the chair or president of what has become the ever-strengthening AFL Outer East region.
“He just wanted to be the person in the background – he just wanted to roll the sleeves up and get to work,” Mitchell said.
“But he never put up with any bullshit either.”
The pair would be a constant fixture at local games throughout the region each Saturday for decades and would often be seen together indulging in their game day ritual of dim-sims and Coke Zero.
As chair and deputy chair, they’d maintain a visible presence and always be there to receive direct feedback from passionate footy and netball club people on game days – whether positive or negative.
Mitchell said he’s “incredibly proud” of Bailey’s selfless initiative, which Bailey kept close to his chest for months as Victorians battled through the bushfire crisis, and then Covid-19.
Prior to joining the then YVMDFL board, Smith had served on the board of the Dandenong Ranges Junior Football League, had extensive roles at clubland with both Monbulk (including playing nearly 200 games) and Seville, and had been a real driver of the push to re-establish the senior and under-18 interleague sides.
To donate to Bailey’s FightMND fundraising effort, visit hub.fightmnd.org.au/fundraise-for-fightmnd/strides-for-shane
